[WinMac] Re: Cross Platform printer serving and accounting

Jim Pirie(pirie[at]cems.umn.edu)
Thu, 9 Dec 1999 11:59:09 -0600

John

We have similar set up and requirements for printing in our department. We
especially needed some accounting control over the color printers, since
they cost much more per page. Here is our solution.

We use software called Printer Accounting Server from Software Metrics, Inc
http://www.metrics.com It runs on an NT server, and can control printing
on any major brand printers. It can do billing or debit type accounting,
associate different per page costs with different printers, and has a host
of other features. We have been using it for two years for printing in our
labs, and are in the process of expanding it to include our entire
department. The software is excellent, but somewhat pricey. However we
figure we can easily recoup the cost in the first six months by actually
having users pay for the pages they print. They also have an option for
client software on Macs.

The unix machines were a bit of a problem. What we have done is to install
samba client software on all unix machines. Users can then print to the
desired printers using the samba client commands (actually, using aliases
and shell substition to make things easier to remember and type). The
print jobs will then be redirected to the PAS software on the NT server.

Of course the NT server is not as stable as a unix server, but the
functionality of the PAS software more than makes up for that deficiency.

Jim Pirie
System Administrator and Factotem
Chemical Engineering and Materials Science
University of Minnesota

>I would like to move away from maintaining lots of individual printers and
>toward a centralized printing solution and have come here for the usual
>wealth of information and suggestions. Our situation is an NT domain for
>user and group management and several NT servers capable of doing print
>server duty (but I'm willing to look at a linux based solution.) Clients are
>a mix of 2/3 NT and 1/3 Macs with a sprinkle of Linux machines. What I want
>to be able to do is host a nice laser printer and a color inkjet with the
>ability to maintain accounting information, specifically a per account page
>count, for each printer. Can someone recommend printer server and/or
>accounting software that will do this and uses our existing NT user
>accounts?
>
>Recommendations for an office laser printer and an inkjet would be
>appreciated as well. I'm inclined to go with the HP 4000 series for the
>laser and a networked epson for the inkjet.
>
>Thanks,
>
>jbh
>
>John Hanks
>System Administrator
>Dept. of Biology
>Utah State University

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This archive was generated by hypermail 2.0b2 on Thu Dec 09 1999 - 10:53:51 PST